Warm Bacon Salad--An Import from Belgium

The common opinion has it that bacon is not good for you, but what is wrong with a little bit of bacon from time to time? Just a couple of slices added to any dish makes it more aromatic and tasty. Scrambled eggs become almost spicy when fried on bacon and many simple soups get a new flair when served with pancetta or hardwood smoked bacon. Also several noodle dishes, especially those made from potatoes--Polish specialty--become a real feast when served with fried bacon on top.

I got this recipe from a friend. The salad is called Liegeoise because it comes from the city of Liege in Belgium. I discovered several recipes for it on the internet and in various cookbooks but none of them was exactly as the one I had.

I followed almost precisely the recipe I got from my friend with the exception of how much bacon to put in. I added a little more of it than the recipe called for, but I used a very lean bacon, mindful of the caloric content. I happened to have white wine tarragon vinegar, which is the exact same vinegar that is used in this recipe. I made it myself, but you can also buy it in many grocery stores.

It is a perfect salad for this cold season, as it is supposed to be served with warm bacon. I really wanted to make it the other day. The same morning I also baked country bread and it was a wonderful addition to the salad, and very fulfilling combination of a hearty salad and freshly baked bread. It can make a comforting weekend lunch, especially if served with a glass of white wine.

Warm bacon and Grean Bean Salad
(Serves four)

Ingredients:
1/2 pack of smoked lean bacon (about 3 oz) cut into small cubes,
1 large onion,
1/2 lb grean beans, can be frozen (I like to use extra fine green beans for this salad),
1 lb baby potatoes,
freshly ground pepper,
about 1 cup of tarragon vinegar, or white wine vinegar.

Preparation:
1. Cut potatoes in halves leaving the peel on, cook them in salted water until soft, drain.
2. Boil water and cook the beans for 3-8 minutes, just to the point when they are still a little bit crunchy (al dente). It will take less time for extra fine beans to cook and longer for the regular ones, drain.
3. Heat the frying pan and add the bacon. Fry the bacon first at high heat, and when most of the fat is melted, turn the heat down and add onion. Fry them all together until the onion becomes transparent and almost all the fat from the bacon is melted.
4. At that point you may take away some grease from the pan, or if the bacon was lean to start with leave it like that. Add some vinegar to the pan (just enough to cover the bacon). Let it boil on low heat for about 3 minutes to reduce the vinegar somewhat.
5. In a large bowl mix potatoes with beans, season with pepper, pour the hot vinegar sauce with bacon on top. Mix and serve.

Vegetables can be cooked ahead, and do not have to be hot, just in room temperature. Hot vinegar sauce will make this dish slightly warm.

Festive Potato Wedges--Thanksgiving Snacks and More

I know that this time of the year I should try to do something with sweet potatoes, but I have not yet found my way of preparing them. But since Thanksgiving cooking is all about hearty, traditional food, I felt that instead of trying harder than I should to figure out what to do with sweet potatoes, I could offer you a snack made of ordinary white potatoes, which could be easily incorporated into this holiday's menu.

Ordinary potatoes are a staple food to many people all over the world. They are also a great basis for many versatile dishes and I intend to post recipes for potato dumplings and noodles, which are a specialty of several national cuisines in Eastern Europe. Some of them require a bit of effort and time to make. Today, however, I chose to post something easy enough to serve it as an impromptu party snack.

I think that this recipe makes ordinary potatoes look attractive, and gives them a festive seasonal flavor. If you like potatoes anyway, you will certainly like this simple snack as well, if you don't like potatos, please give it a try and maybe you will discover their hidden valor.

Potato Wedges

Ingredients:
4 medium white potatoes,
2 brunches of fresh sage,
about half a pack of lean bacon.

Preparation:
1. Cut potatoes in wedges about 1/2-3/4 inch thick.
2. Boil potatoes in salted water until soft, but just a notch short of being perfectly soft, drain them and cool down a little bit.
3. Heat oven to 400 F.
4. Cut bacon stripes in halves.
5. Place a leaf of sage on each potato wedge and wrap around with a piece of bacon. Secure the wraps with wooden toothpicks.
6. Place potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes or until potatoes turn a little bit gold and bacon becomes fried.
7. Serve as starter or party snacks with a glass of beer or wine.

Potatoes Baked with Tomatoes--Mélange à la Provençal

We have fresh, crispy mornings, and very sunny, still hot days, but ending in chilly evenings when we need to reach for a cashmere shawl to warm up.

I still think "summer" when I see the local tomatoes, and I am already in fall when I buy potatoes. We can still wear sleeveless dresses and eat light summer lunches, but on a cold evening we start to crave for heavier comfort food and baked desserts instead of frozen ones. A glass of chilled white wine tempts us at lunch, but in the evening we would like to open a bottle of red. It means that the change of seasons has unavoidably come.

Last night, I made a dish that stands exactly at the crossing of the seasons--potatoes baked with tomatoes, Provençal style. It is an easy country dish. It can be entirely vegetarian, but it can be enriched with bacon, or better yet, with an Italian-style pancetta. If you are a fish lover, you can make it with anchovies. I made it in the simplest of ways (just vegetables) and my whole family enjoyed it very much.

Potatoes Baked with Tomatoes

Ingredients:
2 pounds of white potatoes,
6 tomatoes ripe but not too soft,
3 cloves of garlic,
1/2 cup of flat-leaf parsley and 1/4 cup of fresh oregano,
1 cup of vegetable stock,
3 tbsp of butter,
3 tbsp of olive oil.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Peel off the potatoes and cut them into thin slices.
3. Cut tomatoes into slices.
4. Pour the oil on the bottom of an oven-proof dish.
5. Arrange slices of potatoes and tomatoes (see the picture above); it can take two layers to use all the vegetables.
6. Scatter the slices of butter on top; you can use less butter if you add bacon or anchovies.
7. Salt and pepper generously.
8. Pour the stock on top and finish with parsley or oregano, or both.
9. Bake first covered with foil, for about 30-40 min, later uncovered, for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes turn gold.

Serve warm with green salad and a glass of red wine, to warm up the evening.